Birchall flies to Forrest Estate BXCC win

Justin Birchall and Jonathan Koonja battled through two tough days of competition to take victory at round two of the Britpart British Cross Country Championship. The event was part of the Scottish Grand Safari, held over two days and 127 miles at Forrest Estate in South West Scotland.

Birchall was fastest on the first two runs in his Lofthouse Freelander but after run three it was round one winners Adrian Marfell and Paul Bartleman who headed the leaderboard, just three seconds in front after 32 miles of competition.

Sadly the prospect of an event-long fight between Birchall and Marfell ended with Marfell’s Fouquet-Nissan going off the road on run four.

Birchall continued to set the pace, ending the seven runs of day one 2:15 ahead of Mark Jacques and Adam Nicholson with Phill Bayliss and Lance Murfin in third in their Land Rover Special.

The challenging 10.6 mile course was causing problems for some other crews with Jason Rowlands snapping a drivebelt on his Can-AmX3, Richard Wynne-William retiring with gearbox problems and Mike Moran also retiring with a cracked inlet manifold on his Lofthouse Evo.

A further five runs took place on day two and Birchall maintained his pace to take the win with Jacques in second.

“It’s been an extremely hard event, the quarry sections were particularly tough,” said Birchall. “The course was very challenging and it’s been harsh on both the car and crew. I’m very happy with the win, it’s all to play for in the championship now. Hopefully Adrian and Paul are ok after their off.”

For the second consecutive event Jacques achieved his best ever British championship result. He commented: “It’s been a great weekend, a tough course which was hard on the car and hard on the Lofthouse Motorsport team who had to work hard keeping us going. We didn’t really have any major issues though, the main problem was losing the fans but we managed to bypass those.”

It was a best-ever British result for Bayliss in third too, a position maintained despite breaking a propshaft, resulting in the last two runs having to be done with just rear wheel drive.

“We had a lot of niggles with the car but it was a case of just getting on with it,” said Bayliss. “I’m still learning how the new car handles, racing in the damp and slippery conditions here was very different to the dry tracks at Walters. It was a cracking weekend, the course was scary in some places!”

Rob Bool and Steve Llewellyn finished fourth in their AT 4x4 Indy Challenger ahead of Andy Degiulio and Paul Foley who, despite a few punctures, had a successful event in their Milner R5 which had been rebuilt after a high-speed crash at round one. Martin and Aston Cox were sixth in their GSR 206.

Phil Ibbotson and Karina James had a good run to seventh in their Metro 6R4 although Ibbotson needed a change of pants after fighting to avoid putting his car into a ditch after exiting one of the quarry sections, a moment that lasted around 100 metres going from lock to lock.

Chris and Oliver Speakman finished eighth and first of the UTV cars in their Yamaha YXZ. Oisin Riley and Philip Richards were ninth in their Polaris with the Insanity Racing team of Jon Damrel and Nic Blundell taking their Land Rover Tornado to tenth, a great result after the problems the car had at round one.

Steve Smith and John Griffiths finished just outside the top ten in their Clio V8. Chloe Jones and Rebecca Clarkson were 12^th overall and first in class on their first event together.

Michael Wilson and Ian Letman had a crash part way through day one, their Freelander rolling twice down a bank, colliding with a tree stump on the way. The car was recovered though and they got their final day one run in with seconds to spare. A less dramatic day two ended with them 13^th overall and winning the production class.

The championship will resume in July at Sweet Lamb in Wales. For more information please visit crosscountryuk.org. For pictures from the event please visit www.facebook.com/songasportoffroad. Video coverage from the event will be available on www.youtube.com/specialstage.

Thanks to all the sponsors of the BXCC: Britpart, Voxcloud, Staffordshire Signs, Par Homes, OFG Land Rover Specialists, Birchall Foodservice, Nicky Grist Motorsports and Bowler.

Top 10 results:
01. Justin Birchall/Jonny Koonja (Lofthouse Freelander) 02:57:40
02. Mark Jacques/Adam Nicholson (Lofthouse LS3) 02:59:59
03. Phil Bayliss/Lance Murfin (Land Rover Special) 03:03:30
04. Rob Bool/ Steve Llewellyn (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 03:07:08
05. Andy Deguilio/Paul Foley (Milner R5) 03:17:52
06. Martin & Aston Cox/James Watts (GSR 206) 03:19:05
07. Phil Ibbotson/Karina James (Metro 6R4 Evo) 03:26:31
08. Chris Speakman/Oliver Speakman (Yamaha YXZ) 03:31:52
09. Oisin Riley/Philip Richards (Polaris XP1K Turbo) 03:36:09
10. Jon Damrel/Nic Blundell (Land Rover Tornado) 03:37:56

BXCC battle to resume at Forrest Estate

The Britpart British Cross Country Championship (BXCC) will resume next weekend when the crews head to the idyllic surroundings of Forrest Estate in South West Scotland for round two.

Adrian Marfell leads the title battle after his win at round one and he went well in his Fouquet-Nissan last time the British championship visited the venue, finishing second overall.

Justin Birchall is in second place in his Lofthouse Freelander. In between BXCC rounds Birchall contested the Welsh Hill Rally where he took a convincing win, he also raced in France.

Another Lofthouse driver is in third, Mark Jacques in his LS3-engined example. Jacques was another driver who did the Welsh Hill Rally, sadly retiring on the final day whilst third overall.

Michael Wilson and Ian Letman will bring their production-spec Freelander to the event after a problematic round one which saw assorted parts of the car needing replaced. “The car is back together after Walters," said Wilson. "We’ve got a new gearbox, stronger driveshafts and new shocks. We have the famous Andy Price on the spanners for the event, he knows his way round a Hippo!”

Chloe Jones won her class at round one and she’ll be looking for a repeat performance in Scotland. Jones has a new navigator for the event with Rebecca Clarkson joining her in the QT 88. Clarkson is driving in the NORC championship this year, finishing third last time out and she also navigated for Aston Cox in the Welsh Hill Rally. Clarkson commented “It’s my first time navigating for Chloe, I’m really looking forward to it and it’s great to have an all-female crew in the National A championship for the first time in many years.”

After using his Land Rover 90 TD5 at the opening round Phill Bayliss and Lance Murfin will be using their new car at Forrest Estate following a successful Welsh Hill Rally last month. “We had a great result at the Welsh Hill Rally, winning our class and finishing 12th overall,” said Bayliss. “I’m excited to be racing the new machine in Scotland, it looks like it’ll be a good long course for us to get our teeth into.”

Insanity Racing’s Jon Damrel is hoping for better luck at Forrest Estate following a troublesome weekend at round one. Electrical gremlins and fuelling issues on day one were followed by event-ending mechanical problems on day two. “It was going really well,” said Damrel. “We were increasing speed and confidence and then the centre bearing on the front prop tore out of its mountings, bending the driver’s floor alarmingly and putting a significant hole in the bell housing. That was our event done. Hopefully Scotland will be kinder.”

Andy Degiulio crashed out of round one but his Milner R5 has been repaired and he’s looking forward to racing in Scotland.

The BXCC crews will be racing over a 10.5 mile course using roads all around the Forrest Estate site. They will be racing alongside crews in the Scottish Cross Country Championship with the event being promoted by the Scottish Hill Rally Club. The action starts at 10am on Saturday with a full day of competition. The event is expected to finish around 3pm on Sunday.

For more information on the BXCC please visit crosscountryuk.org. Pictures from the event will be available to view on facebook.com/songasportoffroad and video coverage will be provided by Special Stage.

Images from the Welsh Hill Rally 2019

Birchall and Koonja take convincing win at Welsh Hill Rally 2019

Justin Birchall and Jonathan Koonja led from start to finish to take a dominant win on the Welsh Hill Rally last weekend.

The event, organised by That’s Motorsport Limited, started on Friday evening with two short stages.  Birchall got off to a flying start in his Lofthouse Freelander, heading the leaderboard by 21 seconds. Last year’s winner Paul Rowlands was in second place in his Polaris with Ant Jackson’s Audi-engined Warrior in third. A couple of crews had problems early on with Jon Sprackling losing drive on his Bowler Bulldog and Chloe Jones damaging the steering on her QT88, an issue which was still being fixed late into Friday evening.

A long day of action on Saturday saw ten stages being completed. Birchall continued to set the pace and was fastest on every stage with Rowlands maintaining second place. Mark Jacques in his Lofthouse LS3 was third at the end of Saturday’s stages with Jackson having dropped down the leaderboard after a stage maximum following a broken propshaft. Jackson would also have problems on Sunday when the steering broke but he and navigator Peter Widdop battled on to finish in 13th place. 

Saturday’s stages were causing problems for other competitors too. Alan Thomas stopped on stage five with suspected differential issues on his Walker-Adams Revolution, Cameron Crow rolled his Tomcat and Chloe Jones’ troubles continued with a misfire and then the fuel pump breaking. She managed to continue though after fellow competitor Dale Gilbertson lent a spare pump.

There was no let up in Birchall’s pace as he took fastest time on all of Sunday’s stages to give a winning margin of nearly 8 minutes. 

“It’s been a fantastic event, the stages were great,” said Birchall. “It’s all gone really well, I think lady luck was on our side as we’ve not really had any problems other than a smoking relay which we sorted. I’ve been trying to win a hill rally for ten years so it’s nice to finally achieve it. The car has been spot on although it’s taken a hammering. It’ll definitely need a good check over before round two of the BXCC.”

Paul Rowlands finished in second place and, with Mark Jacques retiring on Sunday, it was Rowland’s son Jason who took third place in his Can-Am X3. 

Ian Gregg and Adam Evans made it three UTVs in the top four in their Polaris. Gregg commented: “It’s been a good weekend, a bit dusty but the stages were excellent. We had a bit of a front diff mishap which meant we had to do all of Sunday’s stages in two wheel drive. This wasn’t ideal for our times but it certainly put a smile on our faces!”

In fifth place was the AT 4x4 Indy Challenger of Rob Bool and Victoria Vaughan. 

“It’s been hard graft but we made it to the finish,” said Bool. “It’s a tough event and we had a few problems including a broken driveshaft and CV boot. The wheel bearing was on its way out on the final stages so we’re glad to get to the end.”

George Bryson and Wallace McKay said before the event that they were hoping for a finish and a good event and they achieved their aim with a 10th place finish and second in class. 

Phill Bayliss left his usual Land Rover 90 TD5 at home and did the event in his new car and, despite a couple of issues, he finished 12th and first in class. 

Ian Linford also won his class in his Freelander although he found the terrain a little rougher than his last event which was on the closed public roads of Essex!

John Pickering finished 22nd in his production-spec Land Rover Discovery despite an oil leak resulting in a couple of stage maximums. Pickering was awarded the “spirit of the rally” award after helping a fellow competitor get back on the road after putting their car on its side.

Thank you to the event sponsors: Voxcloud, Staffordshire Signs, Britpart, Par Homes, Bowler, Wynne Williams Properties, Birchall Foodservice, NickyGrist.com, Gamber, AJD Offroad, Commercial Colours and Alldrive Classic 4x4 with thanks also to Andy & Sue Powell and Richard Green & Karina James.

Top 10:

1. Justin Birchall/Jonathan Koonja (Lofthouse Freelander) 02:19:19
2. Paul Rowlands/Neil Lloyd (Polaris RZR) 02:27:11
3. Jason Rowlands/Liam Dudley (Can-Am X3) 02:30:18
4. Ian Gregg/Adam Evans (Polaris RZR) 02:30:35
5. Rob Bool/Victoria Vaughan (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:32:37
6. Richard Wynne Williams/Matthew Lowe (Lofthouse M3) 02:32:40
7. Ben Gill/Luke Sagar (TMC) 02:40:53
8. Dale Gibertson/Peter Gilbertson (3M Challenger) 02:42:06
9. Alastair Morton/Iain Johnston (Polaris RZR) 02:42:18
10. George Bryson/Wallace McKay (Kirkland Proto) 02:44:41

Crews set for Welsh Hill Rally challenge

Crews from all over the UK will head to Walters Arena in South Wales next weekend for the Welsh Hill Rally. The event, organised by That’s Motorsport Ltd., will take place between 17th and 19th May.

Last year’s winner Paul Rowlands will return to the event in his Par Homes-supported Polaris. His son Jason Rowlands will also be racing in his Can-Am X3 with Liam Dudley co-driving.

Ian Gregg and Adam Evans will be in their Polaris RZR XP1 Turbo and they’ll be looking to go one better than their second place finish last year.

After a very successful 2018 event George Bryson and Wallace McKay will be out again in their Howford Hydraulics Kirkland Proto. With Bryson from Scotland and McKay from Northern Ireland they are possibly the crew who have the longest combined journey to get to the event.

“It was my first crack at the event last year,” said Bryson. “I was delighted to win a closely-fought class and finish 7th overall. My usual co-driver Jacqueline Bryson couldn’t compete last year due to a back injury and this year she’s having to work so I’ll have Wallace in the navigator’s seat again. We’re also planning on entering the Borders Hill Rally. It’s a long trip to get to Walters for us both so we’re hoping for a finish and an enjoyable weekend. Anything more would be a bonus.”

Another driver returning to the event is Harry Nicoll. Nicoll finished in the top 20 last year in a Tomcat and he was planning on using the same car this year but plans have changed.

“The Tomcat’s gearbox is away for a rebuild, it should’ve been ready but now won’t be,” commented Nicoll. “There’s also an engine issue so I’ve ran out of time to get the car sorted. I’ll be using my dad’s Mattserati instead which is quite a change! It’s got a 4.8 Rover V8 and is a lot quicker than the Tomcat. I’m very nervous about doing the event in it as I’ve only driven it once. It should be fun though and I’m looking forward to it!

Aston Cox will be out in his GSR 206. Cox is racing in the BXCC this year after winning the NORC championship with father Martin last year. Becca Clarkson will be navigating.

Chloe Jones and Tom Gray will be competing in their QT 88. It will be Gray’s first hill rally although Jones contested last year’s event and both experienced the venue on their way to a class win at the opening BXCC round. Chloe’s sister Zoe will be also be at the event helping with the organisation.

Phill Bayliss and Lance Murfin are entered in their distinctive Old Forge Garage-supported Land Rover. The former BCC Trophy champions finished 12th overall on the recent BXCC round and had a problem-free test session at an event at Baden Hall on the May Bank Holiday.

Former Freelander Challenge champion Ian Linford has been competing on stage rallies recently, including the Rally GB National event, and he’ll be doing his first hill rally with Demelza Scholes co-driving.

Cameron Crow and Pauline Stevenson will be doing the Welsh Hill Rally for the first time in their 3.9 V8 Tomcat. Stevenson commented: “We’ve both done the Borders Hill Rally for several years, sometimes together and sometimes with other people. This is our first time doing both the Welsh and the Hill Rally Championship though. Fingers crossed we go fast and safe.”

There are three Lofthouse cars on the entry list. Justin Birchall and Jonny Koonja will be in their Birchall Foodservice and Mancini Jeans-backed car and should be able to go somewhat quicker than the standard Isuzu D-Max they used last year. Joining Birchall will be Richard Wynne-Williams and Matthew Lowe in their BMW M3-powered car and Mark Jacques and Adam Nicholson with their LS3-engined example.

It’s not just the crews who are travelling from all over the UK to support the event. Some of the marshals, without whom there would be no event, will have long trips too including one who is towing a caravan from Aberdeenshire, a journey of over 500 miles! With a slightly shorter distance to travel is Moira Aston, wife of That’s Motorsport’s Chairman Jon, who’ll be the event’s Competitor Liaison Officer. She commented: “I’m really looking forward to doing the CLO role and meeting all the competitors at signing on.”

The event will start on Friday evening with two stages, There will then be two full days of competition over the weekend with a total of 20 challenging stages. For more information please visit thewelshhillrally.com.

Thank you to the event sponsors: Voxcloud, Staffordshire Signs, Britpart, Par Homes, Bowler, Wynne Williams Properties, Birchall Foodservice, NickyGrist.com, Gamber, AJD Offroad, Commercial Colours an Alldrive Classic 4x4 with thanks also to Andy & Sue Powell and Richard Green & Karina James.